tldr; The La Marzocco GS3 is recognized as a high-end, aspirational machine, though some older models reportedly had issues, and it lacks flow control compared to competitors.
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Best praise vs top criticism for La Marzocco GS3
“Hello! I run this exact business in Austin TX (thunderbirdcoffee.com) and would not recommend the Linea. It just can’t quite keep up with the volume you’ll be outputting as your main business (a nonstop line of people for 2+ hours). I use a GS3 that is able to keep up but even can need a minute or two to rebuild steam pressure (thanks back to back Americano orders). Feel free to shoot me a DM with any more questions you may have, and good luck! It’s a killer business model and you’ll keep plenty busy.”
“I'd prob get the Mini or the GS3 AV if you can afford it. Both are NSF certified and easy to carry from place to place for pop ups. I greatly prefer the AV feature in the GS3 rather than an MP paddle because it really helps me to multi-task when I'm working with customers. I've owned 2 AVs before as part of a catering cart business I ran and they are workhorses but they do run shot of steam if you're doing back to back to back non-stop 10+ people line long. The MP paddle, I've found to look very nice but flow control is a ton of fluff. Hardly anyone uses it consistently and if so, most likely it's to control preinfusion speed. Not worth the hype.”
226 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026